


You Trick, I’ll Treat

by bushlaboo



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Halloween, Introspection, Trick Or Treat Prompts Challenge, Trick or Treating, halloween olicity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-28
Updated: 2016-10-28
Packaged: 2018-08-27 12:56:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8402536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bushlaboo/pseuds/bushlaboo
Summary: Olicity Fanfiction Trick or Treat Exchange prompt inspiration: The kids we’re escorting to trick or treat dropped their bags.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Obviously written before Barry Allen fucked with the timeline. I am 3000% done with the Flashpoint storyline and its effect on _Arrow_.

Oliver Queen was not a fan of Halloween. That hadn’t always been the case. He remembered being eight years-old and dressed up as Power Rangers with Tommy and Raisa escorting them on their trick or treating mission. It was one of the few times his parents had not dressed him up in some silly historical costume for their annual masked ball where the only fun he got to have was to hand candy out to the less than two handfuls worth of children who’d bother to brave the distance from town and lengthy driveway in search of top tier treats. Things had been different with Thea, but dressing up in princely outfits to match her princess apparel was too much like being back in the ridiculous getups his parents forced on him. With a bit of pestering and a smattering of long doleful glances he’d end up wearing the outfits, he’d do anything for his little sister after all, or he had until turning sixteen. With a driver’s license and keys to the sports car he received for his birthday in hand Oliver started crashing college parties with Tommy in tow. By then there was no regalia needed, he was simply Ollie Queen and that was enough to get him through any door, no matter what he was wearing.

There had been little fun and definitely no holidays on the island, and nothing outside of Akio’s birthday to celebrate in Hong Kong or Russia. Upon returning home with his mission and his gear the idea of dressing up seemed superfluous. He was already wearing so many masks that he didn’t need a special day to hide behind one, rather he needed day where one was not necessary.

Even as he opened himself back up to the good things in life, Halloween wasn’t something he looked forward to – the excuse to misbehave, the unnecessarily sugared up children, and store displays up before August had turned into September soured him on the holiday.

Halloween 2015 and the game Felicity made of it changed his attitude. Once the pop-up, temporary costume stores were open throughout Star City she’d randomly pulled him into one and modeled a few options. The first time she’d done so Felicity told him that she would let him pick her costume. Some of her selections were downright silly – he’d never laughed quite as hard as when his girlfriend stepped out of the changing room dressed up like Scooby Doo. Others were a sci-fi geek’s delight such as Starbuck’s flight suit. Felicity had given him big pleading eyes with that one, clearly a top prospect if she was the one deciding. A few had been downrigh _t_ fantasy inducing and intentionally selected for the purpose of teasing him he was certain. And really what had been done to Snow White’s dress was scandalous, but that hadn’t prevented Oliver from enjoying the amount of toned legs the minuscule skirt showed off. To this day the thought of Felicity in that costume brought him to attention and made him marvel at his control. How he had managed not to revert to his old screw what is appropriate in public ways when presented with such a luscious vision was still a mystery.

In the end he went with something classic and classy, and that handily allowed him to wear a simple pair of slacks and a jacket to match, as Felicity wore Audrey Hepburn’s iconic dress and hairdo from _Breakfast at Tiffany’s_. She’d been the most beautiful thing to grace the themed campaign party and Oliver had trouble keeping his eyes or attention on anything else that night.

This year the lead up to Halloween hadn’t been nearly as fun. There were no unexpected tugs to his hand as Felicity drew him into a store. No modeling montages complete with music blaring from her smartphone. No dangerously deep kisses when she surprised him with a sexy selection. Instead he had to deal with the headaches of scheduling a citywide timeframe for trick or treating, making arguments and concessions to get a larger police showing to prevent pranks, petty crime and drunk driving, as well as, Thea insisting that he needed to host a City Hall Halloween party.

Frankly, Oliver wanted nothing to do with the holiday, but under the oppressive weight of his sister’s glare the weekend before Halloween he cooked up a storm and helped make and hang additional decorations in City Hall. On the 31st he called an early day, after an extended lunch party – a potluck affair where his contributions got rave and astonished reviews – so that employees with children could get home to feed and change their treat-or-treaters in time for the 6 PM start. There was a three hour window, with 8 to 9 intended for the older kids to get their fill, and a 10 PM citywide curfew for those under 18; though with Halloween being a school night Monday no one anticipated a lot of trouble.

Oliver had every intention of spending the evening patrolling the city as the Green Arrow, and was in fact, on his way to the lair when he received a 911 text from Lyla. There were very few things Lyla Michaels couldn’t handle, but even she hadn’t figured out how to be in two places at once. “I think I could be of more help to you on mission,” he protested when she thrust a Judy Hopps clad Sara into his arms after explaining that she was needed at ARGUS. Hence drafting him to take the Digglet trick or treating.

“Don’t argue with a mother on a mission Queen.” Her tone was acerbic and her sea foam eyes lethal. Oliver did the only thing he could, he nodded in assent. “And don’t give Andy a hard time about his costume.”

“Andy?” he asked bemused.

“Carly is working BBB tonight,” she explained putting on her coat and grabbing her keys. “Felicity will be here in a few with him—”

“But—”

“An adult for each kid, trust me,” Lyla cut him off. Oliver knew it was futile to object, so he merely said “Fine.” It came out almost whine-like causing a brow to twitch up on Lyla’s face. “ _Men_ ,” she muttered with amusement before her face softened as she addressed her daughter. “Have fun tonight baby,” she said placing two quick kisses on Sara’s forehead.

Sara shook the plastic pumpkin pail she held in her pudgy hands, “Candy Momma!” she replied, her face shining with delight. Her mother chuckled, “I know. Remember, only two pieces before bed tonight.” Lyla gave Oliver a stern look of warning with that declaration – he felt sweat bead on his neck as he parroted, “Two,” – before tweaking her daughter’s nose.

“Oil,” Sara said, she had yet to master his full name, distracting him from Lyla’s quick escape, “down. Candy now.” She fidgeted his arms, trying to shimmy down his body.

“Not yet,” he told her. His words made her pout. Seeing that look on her little face always got him so Oliver suggested one of her favorite things. “How about we fly until Felicity gets here?”

Her florescent orange container smacked against him as she clapped her hands excitedly. The elated grin was back on her face as she chanted, “Up, up!” Anticipating getting hit with her pail but not caring, Oliver turned her slight frame horizontal and lifted her as high as he could above his head. “Where should we fly to?”

“Daddy.” Oliver felt his heart clench at her request. He remembered the discussion he had with Diggle just after the truth about William came out. John had advocated being with his son, how that was the best way to protect him. He knew by the lack of his presence that what had happened with his brother affected Dig greatly; nothing but complete loss in his sense of self would have driven him from his home, his family, and most importantly of his daughter.

Sara used her pumpkin to express her displeasure at not moving. She rapped him against the side of his head and then pitched it the direction of the bookcase where there were over a half dozen pictures of her family. “Fly to Daddy,” she instructed, making grabby hands as she did.

He moved then, making the engine noises Sara liked so much, and as they reached the shelf he didn’t remind her to be careful as she grabbed the picture of her father and planted a smacking kiss on it. There was clank and gentle eech sound as Sara placed the picture back. She wiggled, a clear sign he knew from their previous flights that she wanted to do a few swoops, before she directed him towards the “Tins Oil!” – Sara’s term for the mountains, or in the land of not make-believe the upper level of wall-mounted kitchen cabinets.

* * *

Felicity came with a pair of headbands – one a witch’s hat and the other cat ears – because chaperons need costumes. At least that is what she’d been explaining when he opened the door. She’d been flustered at finding him instead of Lyla, but rolled with it when Sara took the cat ears and placed them crookedly on his head and declared him “Nick,” to her Judy.

“Guess I’m the witch then,” Felicity said placing the black and silver sparking band on her head. She insisted on a bathroom stop for the kids and Oliver had nearly dropped Sara when he saw a sprouting Andy Diggle enter the apartment dressed up like the Green Arrow. The boy had groaned good-naturedly at the directive but didn’t fight it; instead he snatched his baby cousin from his arms to see to the request himself.

“ARUGS emergency,” he explained, straightening the ears Sara placed on his head, after the kids were out of hearing range. Felicity’s brow furled and instead of responding directly to the news she whipped out her phone. He knew her well enough to know that she planned on remote accessing their system to see if she could be of help. Their assignment, however, had already been clearly laid out. Oliver wrapped his hand over hers and the phone, “An adult for each kid,” he said relaying Lyla’s order.

Felicity chuckled at that meeting his gaze. “That’s how I got roped into this in the first place.” He felt her fingers flex on the phone, but instead of having to convince her otherwise, Felicity blackened the screen before gently removing her hand from beneath his to put it back in her pocket. “Sure you’re up for this?” she asked quirking a knowing smile.

“Not in the least,” he replied, though a night with two of his favorite girls – trick or treating involved or not – was far better than his original plans.

* * *

He’d been wrong. So very, very wrong about how ill prepared he was for being responsible for two enthusiastic children. Starting in the Diggle apartment building made it seem like the night would progress quickly and easily, but once they moved outside and beyond the block of short apartment complexes onto house lined streets the strain of treat or treating very nearly did Oliver in.

While the neighborhood Lyla and John called home was one of the safer ones in the city, the throng of people had him on edge, particularly when he’d lose sight of either Sara or Andy – they had a habit cutting through yards and onto the next house instead of coming back to him and Felicity. It didn’t help matters that there were a surprising number of little Green Arrows running around in the Fall night and he’d counted two, possibly three – the badly stitched homemade costume was hard to interpret – other Judy Hopps, though none of them had Sara’s wild curly mop of dark hair.

After losing sight of them for a third time he put his foot down and insisted on walking up with the kids to at least to the bottom of the porch steps. Andy had taken offense to that. He saw himself as Sara’s protector and it was his job to see her through the evening, much like it had been Oliver’s for Thea years before. A few houses in Oliver started holding back a little, mostly because Felicity grabbed a hold of his arm and prevented him from following the pair all the way up to the porch. After a few more houses were visited in that manner the tautness that had seized Andy relaxed and the boy made sure that he and Sara always came back to them after collecting their candy. That allowed his own tension to ease. Well that and the fact that Felicity kept her arm looped around his as they made their way through the neighborhood collecting an assortment of sugary confections.

An hour in and Sara’s pail was overflowing and her little legs had slowed. At that point Andy started carrying her piggyback style and both pieces of candy went into the hunter green pillowcase, the shade selected to match his costume, he was using. It was another fifteen minutes before the weight of his cousin and their goodie stash got to the boy. Sara kept slipping lower on his back and dropped her pumpkin a number of times, spilling candy out onto the sidewalk. Andy dutifully helped the adults collect it before hoisting Sara back up.

Seeing an ever drooping Sara, Oliver asked Felicity to scoop her up before Andy could after the next stop and to give them a minute. It felt odd, but good to have a man-to-man talk with the boy. After assuring him he’d done everything right and that Halloween was about him having a good time too, Andy was happy to have Oliver carry Sara up to collect her candy until the little girl fell asleep in his arms.

It only took five more houses for that to happen. Sara was comfortably snuggled on his right shoulder, with Felicity’s arm wound around his left, her other hand holding Sara’s candy filled pumpkin – they were, he was certain, the perfect picture of a family on Halloween night. “There is still plenty of time buddy,” he assured Andy when the boy hesitated to continue trick or treating without his cousin. “Besides if you want to have any candy left after Sara declares what’s hers you’re going to need more. _Lots more_. Trust me,” he said with a knowing wink.

Felicity scolded, “Oliver,” and smacked him lightly against his abdomen as Andy shuffled off with quick feet to the next house.

“You’re the one always complaining about Thea pilfering your stash,” he reminded her. Oliver had her there, he knew, but Felicity insisted that the Digglet had better manners.

* * *

When they got back to the Diggle apartment Felicity learned that Sara did not in fact have better manners. The crafty toddler tried to claim two-thirds of her cousin’s candy as her own and snuck four extra pieces of chocolate before getting caught. Even with Lyla’s pending reprimanded and having worn purple leopard spotted cat ears all evening, as he settled the Diggle cousins into bed with Felicity at his side, Oliver knew that this Halloween would go down as his favorite.

Felicity kissing him senseless once they were alone in the living room, telling him a girl could only hold out against so much, before peppering him with more kisses only solidified the sentiment.


End file.
